Abstract In a silica particles medium, the damage to human dental enamel is examined in cyclic axial encounters. This damage has been shown to be hierarchical, impacting multiple aspects of the composition of the enamel. It contains micron-sized defects on the touch surface, which greatly improve surface roughness when abrasive particles are microinvented. Below the surface is detected the demineralisation of the enamel due to inelastic nano-scale processes. Contacts in particulate media are axial only leading to negligible macroscopic wear but can decrease the severity of the fractures1 . The potential consequences of these findings are discussed in the fields of dentistry and biology.